It’s going to be damn-near impossible to stay inside this weekend. But if you end up sunburnt or just in need of some AC, Maria Bamford is here for you. Here at the Mercury we’ve long been touting Bamford’s twisted appeal. Courtney Ferguson put it best: Maria Bamford is crazy. Maybe literally. She has a […]
Andrew R Tonry
Posted inMusic
Change Is Good
The Reinvention of R. Stevie Moore
For R. Stevie Moore, necessity became the father of reinvention.
Posted inComedy
A Conversation with Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts is at Helium tonight and tomorrow. He’ll be joined by the marvelous Ron Funches and Ian Karmel. For a little primer on Watts, check out my piece in this week’s print edition. For the story I spoke with Watts, who was in Montreal at the Just For Laughs Festival at the time. We […]
Posted inComedy
Bait and Switch
The Comedic Misdirection of Reggie Watts
On the comedic misdirection of the virtuosic Reggie Watts.
Posted inArts
Highlighting the Works
TBA’s Boisterous Late-Night Programming
Highlights of TBA’s late-night programming.
Posted inTV
Ron Funches Kills on Conan
What a fine ambassadorial job Portland’s own Ron Funches did on Conan last night. There were so many elongated laugh breaks in his set that what what supposed to be about four minutes ran over six-and-a-half. After the show the producer told Ron that Conan loved the set so much he called for it to […]
Posted inTV
Tonight on Conan: Ron Funches
Fresh off being named on of the “Best of the Fest” at last week’s Montreal Just For Laughs Festival (one of the biggest in the business), our very own Ron Funches makes his TV debut on Conan! I happen to be in LA and watched Ron do a warm up set last night and my […]
Posted inMusic
In the Eye of the Storm
In Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s Explosion, All Is Calm
In Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s explosion, all is calm.
Posted inComedy
Tonight: Cheap Date
Great new showcase tonight at the Hollywood Theater. Cheap Date. Just six bucks. Featuring some of Portland’s very best stand up talent, including Ron Funches, Ian Karmel, Shane Torres, Tim Hammer and more. This is really about as good as local shows get. I’ve got footage of a few of them: Ian Karmel: TONIGHT: Cheap […]
Posted inComedy
Comedy Bubble
Is Portland’s Stand-up Comedy Bubble Destined to Pop?
Portland’s got more stand-up shows than ever before. Is that a good thing?
Posted inPhoto
The Country Fair
Andrew R Tonry The tie-dyed Magician lifted the conch to his lips. It was the size of a large medicine ball. As the Magician began to blow, Cat Man leaned in. He closed his eyes and began swaying back and forth. The single, sustained note, continued for some twenty seconds. Cat Man was in a […]